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The Great Wall
The Great Wall is a 2017 film starring Matt Damon, Tian Jing, Pedro Pascal, Willem Dafoe and Andy Lau, directed by Yimou Zhang, written by Carlo Bernard, Doug Miro and Tony Gilroy and produced by Jon Jashni, Peter Loehr, Charles Roven and Thomas Tull. Plot A band of European mercenaries, including William Garin and Pero Tovar, travel to China during the reign of the Renzong Emperor, in search of the secret to gunpowder. Resting in a cave a few miles north of the Great Wall, they are attacked by a monster, leaving only William and Tovar alive. They cut off the monster's arm and bring it with them. The next day, reaching the Wall, they are taken prisoner by soldiers of the Nameless Order, led by General Shao and Strategist Wang. The Nameless Order exists to combat a horde of alien monsters called Tao Tei, which attacks once every sixty years. The Tao Tei came to Earth when a meteorite came down from the heavens. While examining the severed monster arm, the Order's commanders are surprised by the first assault from the monster horde, one week early. Both sides sustain heavy losses before the monsters' queen aborts the attack. During the battle, William and Tovar are freed by Ballard, another European who ventured east, twenty-five years earlier, in search of gunpowder. Detained, he now serves as an English and Latin teacher. William and Tovar display amazing battle skills, saving the life of young warrior Peng Yong, then slaying two monsters that scale the Wall. This earns William and Tovar the Order's respect. The three Europeans secretly plan to steal gunpowder and flee during the next monster attack. That night, two Tao Tei reach the top of the Wall. General Shao is killed, placing Commander Lin in charge of the Nameless Order. Around this time, an envoy from the capital arrives with an ancient scroll which suggests that the monsters are pacified by magnets. Wang believes the stone William carries enabled him to slay the Tao Tei he fought at the cave. To test the hypothesis, William suggests they capture a Tao Tei alive and agrees to help. This delays his escape plans, angering Tovar, who nevertheless assists William despite Ballard's protests. During the next attack, the Tao Tei are numerous enough to cause Lin to resort to using arrows equipped with black powder, whose capabilities had been kept secret from the Westerners until now. They capture a living Tao Tei and prove the theory. However, the Imperial envoy claims the monster and takes it to the capital to present to the Emperor. A tunnel is discovered at the base of the Wall; the previous attacks had been a distraction, while the Tao Tieh dug the tunnel. While Lin investigates, Tovar and Ballard steal a supply of black powder and escape, knocking William unconscious for trying to stop them. William is arrested by the Nameless Order, and is locked up in the Wall. Some distance away, Ballard betrays and abandons Tovar, but is captured by bandits, who accidentally kill themselves and Ballard after igniting the powder. At the capital, the envoy presents the captive Tao Tei to the Emperor and his entourage, but it awakens and reveals its position to the Queen, who signals to the Tao Tei to attack. The Order rushes to the capital. Then Lin orders the use of hot-air balloons. Before setting out, Lin sets William free. Wang tells him to warn the outside world, but William boards the last balloon with Peng and Wang. They arrive just in time to save Lin from being devoured. They land in the Emperor's palace, where Wang proposes killing the queen by tying explosives to the captured Tao Tei and giving it meat to be delivered to the queen. While approaching the site, a horde of Tao Tei attack the band, and Peng sacrifices himself to save the others. After releasing the Tao Tei, Lin and William climb a tower for William to detonate the explosives via an arrow. Wang sacrifices himself to buy time for Lin and William to move to the upper floors. Two of William's arrows are deflected by the Tao Tei queen's bodyguards, but William throws the magnet into the horde, creating a gap in the shields and allowing Lin's spear to get through. The queen is destroyed, and the rest of the horde is paralyzed. With the threat eliminated, William is allowed to return home and elects to take Tovar with him (whom the Nameless Order recaptured) instead of a reward of black powder, much to Tovar's annoyance. __FORCETOC__ Category:2017 films Category:February 2017 films Category:English-language films Category:Mandarin-language films Category:Spanish-language films Category:American films Category:Chinese films Category:Hongkonger films Category:Australian films Category:Canadian films